Testing, diagnosis, maintenance and calibration of electronic devices often require supplying test signals to, and receiving signals from, components of a Device Under Test (DUT) or Unit Under Test (UUT). When an electronic device is fabricated on one or more circuit boards, electronic components mounted on the circuit boards may not be accessible for testing using existing circuit board mounted connectors. Therefore, connections to components to be tested are made using external electrical probes applied to the exposed leads of the components and/or to a printed circuit board wiring layer.
Automatic testing of electrical circuits requires simultaneous connection to many circuit test points. The automatic testing equipment simultaneously supplies signals to, and receives signals from, combinations of test points. A typical test fixture used to electrically probe a circuit card of a DUT includes a "bed of nails" having a platform for supporting the circuit card and an array of single headed spring probes. Each spring probe includes a probe head which makes positive electrical contact with an overlying portion of the circuit board being tested. An opposite end of each probe is connected to test equipment through single point wiring.
Since testing equipment and other electronic equipment must typically be adapted to varied uses, it is often necessary to reconfigure signal connections and condition signals to interface the equipment to a particular DUT. This can be accomplished by dedicated wiring, patch panels, and/or using appropriate signal routing/conditioning interface equipment in the form of a personality board.
A personality board is connected between a testing device and a DUT to properly route and condition signals between the two devices. Thus, a testing device is electrically adapted to a particular DUT by using an appropriate personality board. Substitution of personality boards allows a single testing device to be used with a plurality of DUTs.
The testing device is connected to a personality board which, in turn, is connected to a test fixture holding the DUT using conventional electrical connectors and cabling. Thus, the personality board is used to electrically connect two devices. However, the additional wiring used to connect the personality board can impair signal connectivity and degrade the transmitted signals.
The added connectors and cables also increase device cost and require additional mounting space on each circuit board and between circuit boards. Further, the device connectors are subject to misalignment and introduce maintenance and reliability problems. Multiple connectors and cabling also complicate the substitution of personality boards.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,414,372 to Levy, 5,302,891 to Wood et al., and 5,123,850 to Elder et al. all describe devices for burn-in and testing integrated circuits. Each of these patents describes securing electrical contacts via clamps. These patents do not, however, relate to or address the issue of repeatedly and reliably engaging multiple electrical contacts housed in a receiver module having top and bottom frames that is engaged with an interchangeable test adaptor.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,850 to Elder et al. discloses a burn-in test socket which serves as a temporary package for an integrated circuit die, a multi-chip hybrid or a complete wafer (FIG. 1). A test socket base 10 has a plurality of pin sockets therein. Socket base 10 is connected to a test system (not illustrated) used to test the device mounted in the test fixture. Pin Grid Array (PGA) 12 has a plurality of pins 13 mounted therein which correspond to the pin sockets 11 in base 10. PGA 12 also has a plurality of bond pads 14, one for each pin 13. PGA 12 also has an opening 15 in the center thereof for use in aligning a semiconductor device in the test fixture.
Thin film probe 17 has a base 17a with a thin film 20 of, for example, polyamide thereon covering one side of the base 17a. A plurality of wire bond pads 18 are formed on the polyamide film 20 and are adjacent to the bond pads 14 on socket 12, as hereinafter described. Wire bond pads 18 are connected to contact bumps 24 through the thin film by signal lines 19. A transparent backing plate 16 is mounted behind the base 17a. Heat sink 22 has a plurality of fingers 23 on the top thereof to help dissipate heat from semiconductor die 21, which is mounted in cavity 30 in the heat sink. When heat sink 22 and probe head 17 are brought into contact with each other, the cavity 30 holds semiconductor die 21 in place, and the test pads thereon (not illustrated) contact the bumps 24 on probe head 17.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,191 to Conover describes an interconnection assembly that connects a unit under test to a testing device (FIG. 2). Latches on opposite ends of a card cage frame releasably couples the units together. The test unit includes a card cage in which a plurality of parallel, spaced circuit cards or printed wiring boards 34 are mounted. The circuit cards contain appropriate testing circuitry. The card cage has a front open face surrounded by peripheral frame 26. The cards each have front edges facing the front face of the card cage and lying in a common, vertical plane. Each card has a row of connector terminals, pads or exposed traces extending adjacent its first edge, which are connected to appropriate points in the circuit card or printed wiring board for signal transmission.
The interface test adaptor unit consists of an outer frame 32 having opposing faces across which are mounted on panel 36. A series of suitable cable connectors are mounted across the panel for connection to cables linking the unit to a unit under test. The other panel 36, which comprises a printed wiring board in the preferred embodiment of the invention, has terminals or contact pads 40 on its outer face for connection to corresponding terminals on the circuit cards. The terminals are connected together by a connection assembly consisting of a series of connector units 42 each mounted on the front edge of a respective circuit card 34 for connecting the terminals on that card to appropriate terminals or contact pads on the outer face of the panel 36. Pins 44 projecting from the four corners of the outer face of the interface test adaptor engage in corresponding holes 45 on the four corners of the card cage frame to align the interface test adaptor within the card cage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,005 to Braginetz et al. discloses a receiver that includes an inner frame and outer walls. Between the outer walls and adjacent side of the receiver is frame are placed fixed hanger plates provided with straight slots and interior slides having co-acting cam slots. The slides are driven by a hand lever and attached torsion shaft with connected slotted linkage having an over-dead-center locked position. An individual test adaptor has four sets of dual bearings or rollers on common dry lube sleeves and can rotate oppositely during the camming action to minimize friction. The individual test adaptor rollers rest on dwell shoulders of the cam slots and then descend through the straight slots during movement of the slides to produce positive straight-on engagement of test adaptor and receiver multiple contacts, such as ball detent contacts with paddle contacts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,378 to Stowers et al. relates to an electronic equipment enclosure includes a card cage for holding a plurality of electronic instrumentation circuit cards. Interface adaptors are mounted on the front panels of each of the circuit cards to provide external connections to respective ones of the circuit cards through a connector module at the front end of each interface adaptor. A pair of positioning pins are mounted on the front of each interface adaptor on opposite sides of the respective connector module. A receiver is hinged to the front of the enclosure and includes upper and lower frames having a series of holes therethrough in correspondence with respective ones of the alignment pins. When the receiver is placed in an upright closed position, the alignment pins engage respective ones of the holes to accurately position the front of each adaptor module and corresponding connector module which extend into a module access space between the frames.
U.S. application Ser. No. 08/344,575 to Stowers et al. now U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,597, describes a related application, a connection interface system using a slide mechanism, incorporated herein by reference (See FIGS. 3-6). FIGS. 3 and 4 are respective bottom and top views of the top frame of the receiver module in the connector interface system. As shown on FIGS. 3 and 4, top frame 115 includes main surface 130 with receiver module pockets 108. Male bayonets 112 (not shown) are inserted in male bayonet mounting holes 112' for securing receiver module 110 to interchangeable test adaptor module 100. Top frame 115 further includes top frame slide support 131 with slide guide projections 132 to stabilize the sliding mechanism (not shown) in receiver module 110. Slide guide projections 132 include top frame bearing holes 133, 133' which receive a slide bearing pin which is inserted through the slide mechanism in receiver module 110. Top frame bearing holes 133, 133' are preferably constructed so that a slide pin in threaded on the end which is inserted into hole 133 and is flat in the area between holes 133, 133' where the sliding mechanism is inserted in top frame 115.
Top frame 115 also includes linkage pocket 134 and torsion shaft support clearance pockets 136 which provide additional clearance for the sliding mechanism linkage and torsion shaft when the sliding mechanism is used to engage the top frame 115 with bottom frame 114 of receiver module 110. Top frame 115 includes torsion shaft access passage 135 which permits the torsion shaft to extend beyond top frame 115 for connection to handle 116 (not shown) to actuate the sliding mechanism in receiver module 110. Top frame 115 includes slide bearing screw access holes 137 which permit access to the sliding pin which accesses slide bearing hole 133 of top frame 115. In addition, top frame 115 includes main surface supports 138 for further securing the main surface to the peripheral structure 138' of top frame 115.
FIG. 5 illustrates the receiver module with the top and bottom frames engaged while revealing slide link 153 and shaft link 154. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the slide mechanism when interchangeable test adaptor and receiver are engaged. As shown in FIG. 6, male bayonets 112 are engaged in female bayonet mounting holes 104, and alignment pin 145 protrudes through bushing hole 113 of top frame 115 and bushing hole 105 of interchangeable test adaptor 100. In addition, the slide pins of top frame 115 are inserted in slide bearing hole 133 and are engaged in slide engaged portion 158b of slide diagonal hole 158. The slide pins for bottom frame 114 are inserted in bottom frame slide bearing holes 144 which are engaged in slide transverse hole 157.
Additional U.S. patent references are, for example, the integrated circuit burn-in apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,269 to Nobi, the integrated circuit socket in U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,216 to Egawa, the modular socket in U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,525 to Nierescher et al., the vacuum test fixture disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,155 to Coiner et al., and the test fixture in Golder et al., all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. These patent references generally relate to standard connection systems having a fixed hinge that permanently attaches upper and lower sections together.
The above engagement mechanism designs, however, do not address the issue of repeatedly and reliably engaging multiple electrical contacts using a rapid engagement interface connection system. The above engagement mechanism designs further do not address the issue of repeatedly and reliably engaging a testing device to a device under test in an efficient and rapid manner.
We have discovered, however, that a need exists for a connector system providing easy and rapid connection between a device under test and a testing device for smaller applications.
We have also discovered that there is a need to provide a connection interface system which is relatively inexpensive and light in weight for consistently and precisely connecting a testing device with the device under test.
We have also discovered that there is a need for a connection interface system which utilizes a pivoting mechanism to distribute the force and substantially uniformly engage the interchangeable test adaptor with the receiver module for connecting the testing device to the device under test.
We have further discovered the need for a rapid connection interface system where the wiring and receiver modules are positioned for engagement in a manner that creates a wiping action between the contacts disposed in each of the modules. This wiping action, we have discovered, provides enhanced electrical contact between the wiring and receiver modules of the rapid action connection interface system.
We have further discovered that to provide the rapid action engagement between the wiring and receiver modules with wiping action, a pivoting mechanism, preferably removable or separatable, disposed between the modules is beneficial and/or needed.
We have further discovered that this rapid engagement mechanism is particularly suited for small applications when, for example, the device under test is has only a limited number of electrical connections.